Too Close for Comfort
by Seras4545
Summary: Ranma arrives at the Tendos just like normal. 'cept this time he isn't cursed... Yet. How will this affect the storyline? Who will he choose as his fiance? Or will he choose at all? I suck at titles by the way. Chapter 6 up! Rating increased for a reason.
1. Arrival at the Tendo's

Too Close for Comfort

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: For those of you who have read my previous story I apologize. I kinda lost inspiration for it when I got to the third chapter. In my opinion I believe I had Ranma on the track of becoming a god like figure, so for now I decided to stop and write this fic instead. Better idea and one I have not seen yet in all the fanfics I have looked at. It will be using the anime storyline as a base as I have not read enough of the manga to follow that storyline accurately. I hope you like it!

_Italics are thoughts_

**Bold are signs/letters/notes most often used for panda genma**

words are conversations in a different language, mainly mandarin

Prologue: To the Tendo Dojo

The night was peaceful, which sadly to say is rather unusual for the city of Nerima. Usually there is some kind of disturbance or fight to break the peace but not tonight, not yet. So the citizens were relaxed and enjoyed the quiet evening for as long as it would last. Little did they know that soon such a night would go from being unusual to highly rare, for a focus of chaos was on it's way to pay a visit to the Tendo household.

Tomorrow morning – 7:45 a.m. - Tendo Dojo of Anything Goes Martial Arts

Soun Tendo picked up the mail which had been deposited on the table by Kasumi just a few minutes ago before going into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He began to sort through the mail while drinking his morning cup of tea.

"Hmm... Let's see now." he muttered. "Bill. Bill. Letter of acceptance for Kasumi." The first two he placed on the counter for Nabiki and the third he threw away without realizing it's full import. The last thing he held was a postcard with a panda on the front. When he read who it was from his hands began trembling with excitement and tears of joy began to form in his eyes.

**On my way. **

**Bringing the boy to fulfill promise. **

**Let the schools be joined.**

**Genma Saotome**

"At last! Ranma is coming! How I have waited for this day!" And then he burst into tears that looked strangely like twin watefalls. When he finished he continued to talk to himself. "And soon, very soon, Ranma will be here."

Gathering himself, he raised his voice. "Listen up! Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane! Family meeting in the living room!"

He waited as Kasumi walked in from the kitchen and Nabiki began to walk down the stairs from her room.

"What's going on daddy? Why are you so excited?" Nabiki asked, ever the curious one.

Soun looked behind her and when he noticed Akane had not shown up he looked to Nabiki. "Umm... Where is Akane?"

Nabiki looked around and then back at Soun. "I'll get her. She's probably in the dojo as usual." She ran back upstairs to grab her camera and then went to the dojo.

As she had thought, Akane was in the dojo and was just getting around to breaking a stack of bricks. Nabiki sighed as she got read to take her picture. _Hope she knows that breaking bricks is not the way to become a better martial artist. Even I know that and I haven't practiced since mom died._ She felt a surge of emotion when she remembered her mom's death but she quickly pushed it back down, suppressing it. She had promised on her mother's deathbed that she would not cry and she wasn't about to break that promise now.

"Iiyaaah!" Akane yelled as she brought her fist down and shattered the large stack of bricks. Nabiki caught one of the shards beneath her foot as Akane stood up. "Wooh! That felt good." As she began to wipe her brow Nabiki took her picture, congratulating her perfect timing. Kuno would easily pay 10,000 yen for that shot.

Letting the camera down she looked at her tomboyish sister. "There you go again Akane! This is exactly the type of thing that makes the boys think you're so weird."

Akane glared at her sister. _Why in the hell should I care! They are all perverts anyway. _"So why should I care, Nabiki? Not everyone thinks the whole world revolves around BOYS!" She yelled and then turned her head, trying to calm herself.

Nabiki blinked at her obvious hatred of the opposite sex._ Guess Kuno and his Hentai Squad are finally getting to her. I should find a way to stop them before it get too out of hand. Shouldn't be too much trouble for me to get some dirt on them and blackmail them into leaving her sister alone._ She smiled at Akane, deciding to try a different tactic with her. After all she knew exactly what this was about, she had read the letter on the table before leaving the living room.

"Well, then I guess this wouldn't interest you." She said as she began to leave. Predictably, Akane followed, her curiosity piqued. They joined Kasumi at the table, facing their father.

Couple of minutes later...

"Fiance?" Kasumi asked. Akane was stunned into silence for now and Nabiki decided to act as if she was surprised as well.

"Yes. He is the son of a very good friend of mine and his name is Ranma Saotome." Nabiki was slightly intrigued. _Wonder if he will live up to the name of 'wild horse'_ she thought with a suppressed giggle.

"If one of you three should marry him and carry on this training hall, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure." Soun finished with a smile, seemingly confident that this would be carried out without a hitch. Akane had other plans however.

_How dare he arrange a fiance for us without even asking! This Ranma is probably just another dirty pervert just like all the other boys!_ "Hey! Wait a minute here! Don't we get to have some kinda say in who we are going to marry!" She surprised Soun with her outburst and Nabiki, noticing her sister begin to build up some steam to carry on her complaint, decided to defuse the situation.

"Maybe you should wait until we meet him. You never know, he might be really cute." Akane, her mind derailed from the track of righteous anger, merely gave a 'humph' in reply and turned her head away from her sister. _Figures Nabiki would only think about how cute he is. Bet he's a real jerk and a pervert to boot._

Nabiki, having succeeded with Akane, decided to gather as much information as she could about Ranma. After all, she planned on being his fiance. She had put on her best Kimono to great him when he arrived.

She turned back to face her father while Akane fumed. "Right daddy?"

Soun laughed for a few moments and then said abruptly "He'll be here any minute."

Nabiki didn't like how her father had evaded the question but decided to let it go and play along for now.

Soun rose to his feet after glancing at the postcard. "Ranma and his father have been on a training mission, and recently they had crossed into china.

"Oooh China!" Nabiki was impressed, not many made it to china, and it was rumored to harbor many mystical and powerful techniques.

"So he hiked all the way to China. Wow. Big deal." Nabiki frowned at Akane's sarcasm, worrying about her sister's state of mind.

_She has been rather unstable lately, maybe her situation is worse than I thought. I think I should get the Kuno Hentai Squad put back in their place as soon as this fiance thing was straightened out._

Kasumi spoke up again. "Father, just how old is this Ranma?"

Nabiki instantly took up the questioning again. "Is he cute?"

"Younger men are just so, well... young."

"well, what kind of guy is he?" Nabiki was getting impatient now, wanting her father to answer at least one question.

Soun began laughing once again and turned his head back toward them and said with a straight face. "I don't know."

Nabiki frowned. This was the son of his best friend right? So shouldn't he know the guy? "You don't know?"

Soun merely stood looking out at the koi pond. Finally he answered. "I've never met him."

All three daughters made faces of disbelief and, in Nabiki's and Akane's case, disgust, though for different reasons.

_He never even met the guy! How stupid can you be to not even make sure that the person you promise one of your daughters to isn't some kind of slob? Though since he went training all the way in China I guess he has to be good and probably isn't lazy, so I guess it's alright._

Akane was furious and was getting angrier by the moment._ Oh please. I can't believe this. He never even met him? ridiculous. I bet he is most definitely a pervert and a lecher._

An hour ago In a nearby district of Nerima

A young man ran down the alleyway, being chased closely by a large panda. The street was slicked by the heavy morning rain. Soon the panda began to make swipes at the young man which he easily dodged. Finally he grew tired of this and turned in mid jump and landed facing the panda. He placed the backpack off to one side and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Hey! You better cut that out! Why are we in such a hurry anyway?" Then the boy's eyes narrowed. "This better not be one of your stupid deals again pops." He began cracking his knuckles in anticipation of beating him down.

The panda held up a sign.

**Don't be stupid boy!**

He flipped it around.

**This time it is the real deal.**

**I promised to join my school with Tendo's school.**

He flipped it again and somehow it had different writing on it this time.

**So be a man Ranma! **

**Face this with honor and accept it!**

Now Ranma was seriously ticked off. "No way! I'm not gonna be married to some girl I don' even know. And don' even talk to me 'bout honor! You have less honor than a rat!"

Apparently he had hit a nerve as Genma took several furious swipes at him. Ranma ducked one and then jumped over another and drop kicked Genma, causing him to fly back a bit and slide along the slippery street. Ranma, considering the fight and argument over, turned his back and began to walk towards the main street.

Genma, not done with him yet, got back up and slammed his fist into Ranma's back, the force of it causing Ranma to slide out into the street, causing many passerby to stare.

Ranma spun around as he was sliding and faced Genma as he walked out of the alley, attracting the stares and many exclamations from the surrounding citizens.

One man, closest to the panda, peered through the rain and then got nervous as he stuttered out, "I-it's a Panda!" Getting the attention of everyone as Ranma faced down his father turned panda.

Ranma fell into a fighting stance once again, deciding that this would be a match instead of the usual brawl. He glared at his father. "Your move!"

Genma approached and took a swipe at Ranma which he easily dodged. Ranma decided to make his opinion of the situation quite clear to his stubborn father.

"I say this whole thing sucks!" Genma continued to try to hit Ranma and after the third miss Ranma grabbed hold of his arm, much to the shock of the spectators. Instead of being mauled by the panda however, Ranma threw him over his shoulder while yelling "Picking my fiance like that!" Genma flew into a nearby traffic sign, causing it to bend and then break as it was assaulted by over six hundred pounds of black and white fur.

Considering the fight over Ranma began to leave. "I'm going back to China to continue training. So suck on that, old man!" He didn't notice when Genma got back to his feet and picked up the broken sign.

He snuck behind Ranma and struck him in the head, hard. As he slung the unconscious Ranma over his shoulder and picked up the backpack he heard several mutters and whispers from behind him.

He looked back and saw the spectators looking at him worriedly. "grrrow!" he growled at them and the group off to the side. As they scuttled off to hide from him, he began to stomp off toward the Tendo Dojo. He sighed in relief as the rain began to let up, though he was still very cranky.

8:06 a.m. Tendo Dojo

Soun and his daughters continued to wait, their thoughts occupied by the prospect of Ranma's imminent arrival. Soon they heard a commotion at the front door and heard the door slide open.

Kasumi got to her feet first. "Sounds like we have visitors!"

"Ooh! It must be Ranma!" Nabiki rushed to her feet, wanting to be the first to greet Ranma and make the best impression she could. Not waiting for Kasumi to go to the entrance and greet them, she rushed out of the room.

"Saotome! My friend! We've been waiting!" Soun cried as he followed on the heels of Nabiki.

Kasumi proceeded at her own pace muttering to herself. "I hope he's older than me..."

8:10 a.m. Front Entrance to Tendo Dojo

"Let me go you old fool! I told you, I'm not gonna have any part of this, so put me down!" Ranma, now conscious, was putting up a great fuss to no avail. His father had too tight a grip on him and was not relenting. As they approached the door Ranma finally gave in.

"Alright! I'll give it a try! Now will you let me down now!" Genma merely 'grrwwfed' in response and Ranma took it to mean that no, he was not going to be put down until they were in the compound.

As Genma opened the door and walked in he saw a beautiful girl with short cropped brown hair in a kimono with a man behind her. _Wow. Maybe this won't be so bad after all._ He thought as he drank in her image. He was at peace until he noticed the look of absolute terror on their faces and they proceeded to retreat back the way they came.

This rekindled Ranma's anger at his father and again began to pummel him as hard as he could while genma walked after them.

As they rounded the corner Ranma heard a gasp and someone said "Oh my!"(guess who, if you can't then you shouldn't be reading these fanfics.)

Ranma turned to look and saw the Short haired girl and the man joined by what he assumed to be her elder and younger siblings. They too wore a ask of fear (though Kasumi not so much so) and Ranma tried to get his father to let him down so he could explain.

"c'mon pops! You're scarin' 'em spitless!" Ranma yelled when hitting his father over the head.

They came to a stop in front of the group. Kasumi stared for a moment then looked to her father. "So father, these are your friends?"

Soun, too shocked to speak (c'mon, who wouldn't be when a massive panda just waltzes into your home?), merely shook his head adamantly.

Nabiki, finally over her surprise, sent a dirty look at Soun. "Oh. So this panda just decided to drop in, is that it huh?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Soun could only shake his head faster and began to hyperventilate in response.

Genma finally lifted Ranma up and turned him around and placed him on the ground facing the Tendos. _Finally. Now maybe I can clear up the mess pops made of things._ Ranma thought as he looked at the now curious family, with the exception of Soun who was beginning to go blue in the face.

Nabiki once again took the initiative. She walked up to Ranma and looked him up and down._ Wow, he is cute! Not to mention well muscled and his face and beautiful blue eyes are to die for._ Ranma blushed under her scrutiny of his body and shifted his balance nervously.

"You're Ranma right?" Nabiki asked, finally done with her inspection.

Ranma gathered his wits and did the thing he knew best in this kind of situation. He apologized. "Yes, my name is Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout the intrusion and my pops scarin' ya'."

Nabiki was impressed by his manners, even if they were a bit rough around the edges and his speech could use a little improvement as well. Then she remembered what he said about his father scaring them. "Um... Did you say that that panda is your father?"

Ranma looked embarrassed. "It's kinda a long story, but yeah. The panda behind me is my father."

When Soun heard this it was just too much. He finally broke down and collapsed. Everyone exclaimed in surprise and gathered around him.

Ranma stood back however, not wanting to intrude or assume a right that wasn't his. So he apoligized once again.

He scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Umm... Sorry 'bout this. Is he gonna be alright?"

When Nabiki motioned for him to help, Ranma walked up and picked up Soun and brought him inside the house where they waited for him to wake.

It was a long and uncomfortable wait.

A/N: Finally! Hope you like it! Yes, Ranma is not yet cursed. that is my main twist in the story. I will make up for this later on. One hint... It involves the amazons. Oh, and relating to my previous fic, I felt that it was not getting anywhere and I didn't have much support behind it so I decided to discontinue it for now. If I get enough people to say to continue it then I'll probably do so. For now though, this will be my main fic.

Please review, I beg of you! It helps me grow as an author and allows me to make the story more entertaining.

Thank you!

Seras out. Till next time!


	2. Here's Ranma!

Too Close For Comfort

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: Wow! so many reviews! I'm touched, I had no idea this would be so popular. Also I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. I have been traveling a lot lately and haven't had the time to work on it. I will also be replying to reviews that I feel need some kind of public response. If you specificly want a response then put PR at the end of your review.

P.S: Ranma will be 17 in this fic and quite a bit more intelligent. Also, I will be making quite a few changes from here on out

Ecchi-Anbu: Yeah, sorry for not clarifying earlier. Ranma will be cursed early in the story, just not before he gets to the Tendo's. I felt that It would have a huge impact on the way the story develops, specifically his attitude and confidence and also he wont be dumped onto Akane. Nabiki will have enough time to get over her shock.

Xtor49: Sorry, but he will be cursed eventually, it just won't screw him up so badly. He will have support and someone who accepts ALL of what he is.

Citan: This will not be a RanmaXAkane pairing. Personally I think Akane is a character that stays rather static throughout the whole series and the fact she does not compromise but make others do so kinda pisses me off so, no she will be mostly in character(as much as I can make her) and will hate Ranma's guts for a good while.(I might make them friends, but I doubt her ego would allow it.) BTW: Love the name, from Xenogears right? URock! That is a great game and series.

No more... Ah well. On with the story then!

Chapter 1 Part One: Here's Ranma

Soun groaned, finally awake. He let his eyes stay closed for a moment. He had an awful dream where a panda claiming to be Genma had brought what it claimed to be Genma's son. He opened his eyes and saw four faces looking down at him. One was a familiar young lad with dark hair and blue eyes.

"Ah, he's finally awake. Guess pops scared him a bit too much." Said the familiar boy. Soun tried to place where he had seen him before, then the previous events came crashing down on him.

_So it wasn't a dream? Where's the panda?_ Soun shot up much to everyones surprise and looked around wildly. Not finding him he looked at Ranma with a confused and worried look on his face.

Ranma, used to this kind of reaction, just shrugged. "If you're lookin' for pops, he should be in the furo."

Soun nodded his thanks and raced off to find Genma and demand to know what had happened.

After he left Ranma looked at Nabiki, who was currently looking at him with an appraising eye. Used to such scrutiny, Ranma stared right back, noticing that she had a great physique and was well endowed.

Not used to being scrutinized herself, Nabiki began to blush and quickly looked away.

Akane watched Ranma with increasing fury. _How dare he? Here for not even two hours and he is already being perverted!_

Ranma, happy with the result of their staring contest, got to his feet and stretched muscles stiff from the long wait. He looked at the three daughters and evaluated their martial arts capabilities. The eldest, he couldn't quite remember her name as pops had been drunk when he talked about her, was definitely not a practitioner, though she did have the grace and balance of one, so maybe she had practiced long ago. The middle daughter, Nabiki if he remembered right, was an enigma to him, seeming to both be and not be a martial artist._ Hmm... Maybe she practices and excercises like one but her heart's not in it?_ He looked at the youngest, Akane, who was currently glaring at him. He noticed her stance and the fact that she wore a martial arts gi and knew instantly that she was a martial artist._ She has seemingly no control over her emotions though._

Seeing Ranma look at her Akane was instantly incensed. "What are you looking at you pervert?" Ranma, confirming what he had observed, decided to put her in her place before she got out of hand.

"You're the martial artist in the family correct?" Ranma asked in a level tone, not betraying how angry she had made him by calling him what none have dared call him before. Everyone who knew him knew that he was an honorable person.

Off balance from his seemingly cool question, Akane simply nodded.

"Your name is Akane right?" Again, a nod, though he could tell she was getting angry again.

"Well then, how 'bout we spar for a bit? It will help blow off some of that steam that your holding in."

" Fine! Just don't blame me if you get hurt, pervert!" She shouted, obviously losing what emotional control she had left.

Beginning to lose his own control of his anger, he decided to vent it in a subtle way. "Rather confident aren't you? All right, lets make this match a little more interesting then. How 'bout if I win I become your teacher in martial arts and if I lose you may do whatever you wish with me?"

Her anger tempered by the sudden weight of this match, she nodded her agreement.

Ranma turned to Nabiki, who had been watching the event unfold in silence, and smiled at her.

"If I'm not mistaken your name is Nabiki right?"

_Wow. He can manipulate Akane and not get angry so he is definitely smarter than a normal jock. Not to mention he is cute and has a great smile._ Nabiki had been slightly angry that he had dismissed her as a martial artist but that smile had wiped it out. Trying to get control of her emotions, she tried in vain to reestablish her ice queen persona, she couldn't seem to fall for him too soon or she might accidently push him away.

" Yes, I'm Nabiki Tendo." She answered, thankful she didn't stutter or something foolish like that.

Ranma nodded, impressed that she retained such control. Most girls he met had either loved him or hated him on sight. Those who loved were too shallow and those who hated, much like Akane now, became completely unapproachable.

" Would you care to referee the match please?" She nodded, and he looked at Kasumi with a questioning look.

"Sorry, but I have to cook dinner. Maybe some other time Ranma-Kun." She had already decided that Ranma was a good person and thought he might be a good influence on Akane. She regretted not being able to watch the match but she really did need to start on dinner or it wouldn't be ready in time.

"C'mon Kasumi! Dinner can wait just this once, come watch Ranma's match with Akane!" Nabiki felt that she had to at least try, though she doubted Kasumi would change her mind.

To her surprise Kasumi nodded. "You're right. I'm sure father has much to speak about with his old friend. I guess I could watch this once."

Ranma smiled widely, glad that she changed her mind. He was also happy to learn her name without showing he hadn't known her's while knowing her sister's, thereby saving him from giving offense. He was especially grateful as she happened to be the one who cooks the meals in the family.

"Right then. Lead the way, Akane." He said her name with a mocking smile, causing her to nearly attack him right then and there, but she restrained herself somehow.

_Good, so she can learn control with time and effort. She also has the honor of a martial artist, which will make it easier to train her._

Akane stomped off into the dojo and Ranma followed with an unusually smug Nabiki and anxious Kasumi trailing behind.

Once inside he and Akane took opposing sides of the room with Nabiki refereeing off to the side and Kasumi observing from the door with a worried look on her face.

_Oh, I do hope neither of them gets hurt too badly! Especially Akane, though she could be so hopelessly violent at times._

Akane assumed a ready stance while Ranma simply stood where he was, seemingly completely relaxed and at ease, as if a very angry and irate martial artist weren't standing before him, ready to plaster his face to the floor.

_Humph. He thinks he's so great. Hope he is ready to lose. After all, I am the best martial artist in Nerima. _With that thought she smiled with anticipation and looked at Ranma and was instantly consumed with fury again. He didn't even look like he noticed her, as if he hadn't a care in the world, as if she was beneath his notice.

Nabiki raised her hand to call for attention. "Right. The rules are anything goes, a single touch to the head gains a victory. Fight!" With that she let her hand fall and quickly backed out of the way.

Ranma looked at Akane's face that was currently showing all of her anger. He smiled a carefree smile.

She smiled back. "I'm gonna wipe that smile off your face you jerk!" and she charged and opened with a right punch. She anticipated the feel of connection between her fist and his body, but it never came.

Ranma had simply disappeared from her vision.

Nabiki's jaw dropped, she had never seen anyone move so fast except for Kuno. He had simply disappeared and then reappeared right behind Akane without her noticing. She hadn't even seen him twitch.

"Slow and predictable. Far too slow. Also, did you mean to broadcast your intention to the entire world? I could see your move from a mile away!"

She jumped and spun around to deliver a spinning kick to his head but again connected only with air.

He stood off to her side, still in a relaxed stance.

_So he's as good as he acts? Well, guess I'll have to get serious._ Akane sped up her attacks and succeeded in hitting his side and was satisfied to hear a grunt of pain from him. Then she remembered that she was supposed to touch his head and cursed.

"My, my. Such language! Maybe I should wash your mouth with soap?" As she threw an uppercut at him he ducked and pulled a sliver of soap out of somewhere and shot up with eye watering speed. At the same time he shoved the soap in Akane's mouth he smacked her forehead hard enough to send her flying back into the wall.

" You need to learn control. If you let your anger rule you then you will never grow as a martial artist. Your lessons begin tomorrow morning, seito." He said the last with a smile, having won himself his first student.

Nabiki walked up to Ranma to ask him if they could talk in private when a look of sudden alarm passed over his face, then she heard the reason.

"Ranma, you **Baka!"** And suddenly everything became a blur as Ranma suddenly leapt forward and pushed her hard to the side. Then he succumbed to the caress of a large mallet wielded by a girl whose anger driven strength was legendary in school.

"Oh my! Poor Ranma!" was all Kasumi could say. She ran over to help as Nabiki got to her feet.

Seeing him unconscious on the floor, Nabiki wondered. _Why would he do that for me?_

As Akane stomped out of the room, still spitting bubbles from the soap, Nabiki knelt down next to Ranma and, with Kasumi's help, lifted him and took him to his room.

Sitting down in a chair to wait for him to wake up as Kasumi left to make dinner, she gazed at his face. It was so peaceful in sleep, almost childlike. She felt something for him, something she had never felt before. It was a wonderful feeling, making her feel warmer inside than she had felt in a long time.

She began to doze off after awhile and quickly shook herself awake. She decided to get a drink of water and left the room. As she passed the living room she noticed her dad and some bald guy in a bandanna and white gi she didn't recognize sitting across from each other looking very sad.

She went into the kitchen and got her cup of water. Then she decided to satisfy her curiosity.

"Kasumi. Who is that guy in the living room with dad?"

Kasumi looked up up from her cooking with her ever present smile. "It's dad's old friend. Thats Genma."

Nabiki was a little confused. "When did he get here?" At this Kasumi shrugged in ignorance and returned her attention to cooking again. Then, as if remembering something, she looked back at Nabiki.

"Oh, Nabiki, How's Ranma doing, is he awake yet?" She frowned with worry when Nabiki shook her head. "Oh dear. I hope Akane didn't hit him too hard. Well, when he wakes up can you give this to him? It just arrived a few minutes ago." Kasumi pulled out a small box and handed it to Nabiki.

Nabiki headed back to Ranma's room, wondering how Ranma could be getting mail already. It was anonymous mail too. It was simply labeled 'To Ranma from an old friend' with the address of the Tendo Dojo underneath.

She walked into the room and noticed that Ranma was now sitting up and rubbing the back of his head where the mallet had hit him.

" Still sore huh?" She asked. He looked up and with a pained expression nodded. She tossed the box at him and he caught it deftly and looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"What's this?" He asked after looking it over.

"Dunno, it just arrived a while ago. How are you getting mail here so quickly?"

"I have no idea. Me an' pops never told anyone where we were going, mainly because we didn't know exactly where we were going ourselves, but also a precaution. Hmm... Well, stranger stuff has happened before." He got to his feet and stretched, wincing in pain at muscles gone stiff from lack of a proper cool down.

_Precautions? Stranger things? Just what has this poor guy been through? _She peered closely at Ranma, as if she could somehow see the secrets he held.

Ranma saw her curious gaze and smiled._ I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell her. I've been wanting to talk to someone about what pops puts me through for a long time. _ "If you want, I could tell you my story. But first, may I use the furo? I'm dirty from the journey still and now sweaty from my match with Akane and I feel the need to relax for a bit."

This shocked Nabiki out of her thoughts. She had forgotten that Ranma had traveled a long way to get here and hasn't had the chance to clean up yet. Determined not to forget her manners again, at least not with him, she smiled and nodded.

"Sure, I think Akane should be done by now. Here, I'll show you where it is."

Ranma smiled his gratitude and followed her out.

Akane had indeed just finished her bath and passed them on the stairs, giving Ranma a glare as she walked by.

Ranma ignored her for now, simply enjoying walking with Nabiki. He had never felt this way before, never was he so at ease and at peace with anyone else. He wasn't about to let anything ruin that feeling, not even Akane trying to goad him into a fight he would have enjoyed at any other time.

When they arrived at the furo he was disappointed to part with her. He walked into the changing room and began to undress and was getting to his pants when he felt someone watching him. He made a quick (And wishful) guess.

"You know Nabiki, peeping is not a very honorable pastime." He was rewarded with the sound of her cursing and stumbling to get away, though it was silent enough that he barely heard it. She was good at this sneaking around business, but he was better.

He finished undressing and walked into the bathroom, still holding the package. He took out his bathing essentials and noticed he was out of shampoo, and remembered that he had been for a long time.

Deciding to satisfy his curiosity now that he was in a private area, Ranma ripped open the box. It turned out to be a bottle of shampoo and two notes. _Now who could have known that I would need shampoo at this particular time?_

He looked at the two notes and noticed one said 'Read after use'. _Well, guess I'll play along with them, whoever they are._ He decided. He opened the other note, which said simply 'Take the chance to experience a magic few men have had the chance to enjoy!' (You can tell where this is going, right?)

He shook the bottle a bit and noticed the contents were a little watery. _Hmm... Maybe it's some kind of new scented shampoo or somethin'._ He took the top off and took a whif. Sure enough he could smell something, but couldn't tell what it was.

Now, normally he wouldn't use such stuff but he had a bit of pride in his hair and it was beginning to get a dirty greasy feeling to it. So he took the bottle and took his hair out of it's pigtail and wet his hair and sat down and poured some of the stuff in his hair and began to scrub. As he did he felt a tingly sensation all over his body and decided that it felt good and kept on going.

Little did he realize that he would come to deeply regret the decision to use it, but now it was too late.

Nabiki (I will now split the perspective of the story every so often.)

She walked alongside Ranma, leading him to the furo. She felt good with him around, not even Akane's glare when they passed her on the stairs could ruin the moment.

When he went inside, Nabiki had a sudden idea. She reached into her shirt and pulled out her trusty camera. _If he's hot enough then I could make a fortune off him. I doubt he would mind._ She opened the door a crack and peeked in, feeling a rush of excitement as she did. She saw him take off his shirt and her heart began pounding even faster. She managed to take one shot of his magnificently muscled upper body and knockout handsome face before he stiffened, as if listening to something far off.

After a couple of seconds he relaxed and Nabiki let out a silent sigh of relief. Then he spoke.

"You know Nabiki, peeping is not an honorable pastime." He said in a low voice.

Nabiki cursed and scrambled nas silently as she could to get out of there before he could catch her in the act. When she got to the top of the stairs she stopped to get her breath back. _Man, I'm really out of shape. I should ask Ranma to train me too. And how did he know it was me peeking in on him? Lucky guess maybe, or do I just strike him as that kind of person? Or maybe it was something else..._

She never finished that thought as she heard a scream from the furo. She rushed back downstairs, hoping that nothing bad had happened to Ranma.

She had failed to notice that the scream, while still sounding Ranma like, was too high pitched and woman like.

Nabiki reached the furo door and ripped it open. She was stunned into complete silence and immobility by what she saw.

Kasumi, having heard the scream, also came in and looked at Nabiki first. " Nabiki, what's wrong? What happened? Ranma, are you all right... Oh my!"

A/N: Sorry for cutting off so soon but I felt it was a good stopping point. Anyway guess most of you know what happened and if you don't then.. well... You will soon.

Hope you like it!

Seras out. Till next time!


	3. Ranma's a Girl? What's goin on?

Too Close For Comfort

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: This is great! I never thought people would love the story so much! This is great for my confidence. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and to all the readers out there!

Chapter 1 Part 2: Ranma's a girl! What's goin' on here?

The Tendo Furo 6:17 p.m. Nabiki's POV

Nabiki stared at Ranma, or at least who she thought was Ranma. The person standing there could have been his twin sister. She had a similar, if smaller, build as Ranma with flame red hair and, Nabiki couldn't help but notice, endowments that rivaled her own.

The girl was currently staring at a mirror in complete shock. There was a shampoo bottle sitting next to the anonymous package which had been opened. There were also two notes off to the side, one opened and one still sealed with the words 'read after use' written on the front.

She walked over and picked up the open one and quickly glanced over it. 'Take the chance to experience a magic few men have had the chance to enjoy!' Is how it read and she glanced at who she now was positive was Ranma. _Experience a magic few men have had the chance to enjoy indeed._ Nabiki thought with a rueful smile. _I doubt many men would enjoy the experience at all. Whoever did this must have a twisted sense of humor and access to quite a bit of resources to find out where Ranma was headed. They must also have some kind of motive._

Nabiki reached out to pick up the other note but before she could Ranma snatched it up and ripped it open. Nabiki settled for reading over his... her shoulder.

Furo 6:15 p.m. Ranma's POV

Ranma proceeded to wash out his hair and stood up and immediately lost his balance and fell on his face. _Wow, that was weird. I don't usually lose my balance like that._ HE stood up carefully and noticed that he felt a little shorter and heavier in the chest. He also felt that something was missing and something else that wasn't supposed to be there was there in it's place.

Ranma's face paled when he saw that he now had breasts, genuine 100 real breasts. He reached down, praying that what had happened hadn't. He felt an emptiness , then felt something that a guy shouldn't be able to feel.

He ran over to look in the mirror. He went completely white with what he saw. He was no longer a he.

Ranma did the only thing she could think of, she screamed and fell into a deeper shock when she heard her voice, even that had changed, gaining a higher timbre and pitch.

Ranma simply stood there, frozen with shock at how much had been changed. She barely even noticed when Nabiki and Kasumi entered the room, didn't understand even a word they said.

She simply stared, refusing to accept that what had happened had actually happened.

_This can't be real, it must be a dream! But I don't remember even relaxing enough to fall asleep, I would have known if I had. So it must be real. I am a girl now. Down to the very last detail except my mind, and I can even feel things changing there as well._ As she thought that she felt her weight suddenly shift and her balance was restored. She could also feel several other things happen that she didn't even want to think about.

Having come out of her initial shock, she noticed that Nabiki had gone and read the note she had opened earlier. As Nabiki reached for the other note that he had not opened, a thought raced through her mind. _Maybe it tells me how I can reverse it! Maybe this was just someones twisted idea of a joke._

Her hopes were thin but she clung to them. She snatched the note from the counter before Nabiki had even grabbed. Ignoring the shocked and surprised look on Nabiki's face, she tore the note open.

'So how do you like the curse Son in law? Now you will be able to join us instead of marrying shampoo, if it really scares you that much. Don't worry, the curse is just like the one your father received at Jusenkyo. As you should know by now hot water will reverse it but only temporarily, cold water will bring it about again.. This is the least troublesome way for you to join us, it need not be a permanent change. Consider yourself lucky, not many get off so easily, some we do lock into a curse. We'll be seeing you soon son in law!

Cologne'

Ranma's anger grew at each word she read. She was just barely aware of Nabiki and Kasumi reading over her shoulder. She crumpled the note up and then proceeded to rip it to shreds, cursing vehemently as she did.

"Damn those amazons and their friggng laws!" She yelled as she threw the paper down. She continued cursing and damning the amazons and their 'crazy' laws.

When she finally calmed down she slumped to the ground, exhausted by the day and her magical transformation and subsequent tirade.

Then she saw Nabiki and grew suddenly sad and deeply depressed. _Oh kami! She must think I'm a freak now! A twisted, perverted, transexual freak!_ She finally broke down and began to cry. When she realized she was crying it depressed her even more. _Boys aren't supposed to cry! But I can't help it!_ She started to cry even harder.

Furo 6:23 p.m. General POV

Nabiki watched as Ranma cried, trying to think of some way to cheer him.. her up. As Ranma worked herself into greater hysterics she did the only thing she could think of. She slapped her, hard.

Ranma was shocked out of her ever deepening spiral of depression and on a deep level she was grateful to Nabiki, but at the moment she was very angry. _Why the heck did she hit me?_

"What the hell did ya do that for, huh? That hurt!" She said as she rubbed the handprint that was quickly darkening to a bruise.

Nabiki was slightly put off by Ranma's obvious anger but rapidly put that behind her. After all, who wouldn't be angry when they got slapped by someone who they may have thought of as a friend.

"Stop being so mopey and depressed and get a hold of yourself! You're a man aren't you? So act like it!" She snapped, putting all the feeling into her words she could to get through to Ranma.

Ranma, hearing Nabiki call her a man, instantly perked up and puffed out her chest in pride, inadvertently displaying her ahem... gifts to greater effect. Though she felt it was wrong in some way. _She doesn't think I'm a freak! She even still thinks of me as a man! Oh, thank Kami!_

Nabiki, trying to ignore Ranma's breasts which she had pushed out and the feeling she was getting in her loins because of it, concentrated instead on her face. She soon found out that that was a mistake as she admired the fact that she was as beautiful as she was handsome in her boy form. _Wonder how it would feel to... No! Can't think of that right now! Got to concentrate on Ranma's problems right now._

"Ranma, remember what the note said. It is reversible with hot water. So it isn't that bad. Just take your bath and you'll be good for the night. Don't worry, I'll think of a way that you can have access to hot water during the day. I'll give you some privacy while you change back." She got up and began to head to the door, Kasumi seemed to have left a while ago, presumably to go back to preparing the meal and watching over it so it wouldn't burn.

Ranma decided to act on an impulse and cried out before Nabiki left. "Nabiki!"

Nabiki turned around, wondering what else could be wrong.

"Do you think I'm a.. a.. f-freak? Do you.. do you h-hate me?" Ranma asked tremulously, dangerously close to tears.

Seeing this Nabiki grew slightly worried. _Uh-oh, I hadn't thought of the psychological effects this would have. If I don't solve this quickly it may degrade into some kind of complex. But how to reassure her?_ Nabiki mused for a minute then smiled as an idea came to her. _It's dangerous, but if it works then not only will I reassure her but I can also pursue the only honest way to enjoy my fault. _Nabiki had always felt a longing for both guys and girls, making her a rare type of person, a bisexual. She had hidden the other side of her sexual preference for honor's sake and to keep from being blackmailed but now she had the perfect embodiment of both her preferences right before her.

She looked into Ranma's eyes and could see the fear and confusion. She decided to carry out her plan.

She walked up to Ranma and kneeled so she was face to face with her. She wrapped her in her embrace and kissed her full on the lips.

Ranma's eyes opened in shock and was unresponsive for a while. Then she began to respond as Nabiki's tongue explored her mouth. She felt thrills as her sensitive nipples rubbed against Nabiki's shirt and her loins began to grow hot and wet. Then she felt an intrusion and a surge of ecstasy enveloped her and she moaned aloud. It was more intense than Ranma had ever felt and it brought her back to what she was doing and she pulled away quickly, if somewhat reluctantly.

Seeing Nabiki's hurt and disappointed look, she looked down in shame. "Sorry, I'm just not ready for this. It's too strange. Just give me some time to get used to it, okay?" At first she thought Nabiki was going to be angry but then she smiled and nodded her understanding. She gave Ranma another hug and a quick peck on the cheek and stepped back and went to the door.

Before she left she turned to face Ranma again. "Ranma, you are not a freak. I could never hate you. Your curse is a gift to both you and me, treasure it don't reject it. I hope you will choose me as your fiance." With that said she left, giving Ranma the privacy she needed to change back to her male form.

They had both failed to notice someone spying on them while they had been committing their little tryst. Akane quickly hid as Nabiki left and closed the door behind her. She left her hiding spot and shook her head in bewilderment. _I knew Nabiki liked the guys but the girls too? And who is that girl? I should warn her to stay away from Nabiki. This kind of behavior is unhealthy for them._ Having firmed her intentions in her mind Akane went up to her room and began to do her homework, planning to tell the girl when she next saw her outside of her sister's hearing.

She had failed to notice that the clothes in the hamper had been Ranma's and had been out of hearing range when they had spoken.

Nabiki went up to her room to sort out her feelings for Ranma and find out whether or not her actions had been heartfelt or whether they had been spurred on by lust.

She thought on this for quite a while and by the time Kasumi called everyone for dinner she had decided it was a mix of both.

Furo 6:35p.m. Ranma's POV

Ranma sat in the steaming hot water, relaxing muscles he hadn't known he had tensed. Finally a guy again he could think straight without all the extra input of his female body, though he could still feel changes within his mind and he knew he would never be the same.

He thought over the implications of what he and Nabiki had done and what he had felt. _What the hell was that? I never felt so emotional before! Must be the curse. She had kissed me though, when we were both girls! She had also began doing something else... _

Ranma tore his thoughts away from that line of thinking and focused on the thoughts that Nabiki didn't hate him or think him a freak. Hell, she even said his curse was a gift and that she wanted to be his fiance! It was a dream come true and he thanked the almighty Kami profusely for such blessings to befall him in his time of need.

He soon began to doze away and splashed awake when Kasumi called everyone for dinner. _Damn! How am I going to explain this to pops!_ He cursed lightly and decided to take things as they came.

He got out and dressed quickly. He got to the table only slightly behind his father and Nabiki. They all sat down and began to eat. Ranma ate at a normal pace and for once so did Genma. They also did not engage in their usual fight over food and so dinner went along without a hitch. When they were finished Ranma reached a decision to tell pops before he found out at a worse time.

"Hey pops. Could I talk to you in private?" Genma gave Ranma a curious glance and when he noticed his serious face he nodded and they excused themselves from the table and went a little ways away, out of hearing but not sight.

"What is it boy?" Ranma looked down for a moment, trying to gather his wits.

"Well, you see... I..." Just at that moment a glass flew out of Akane's hand and flew over Ranma, tipping it's contents of cold water and ice over him and shattering against the wall.

Ranma looked at her father who had somehow evaded the water. He was looking at Ranma as if she had grown a second head and began ranting madly. Ranma didn't blame him. He finally managed to speak. "H-how... did... what happened!"

Ranma sighed, feeling it was easier to speak about it when he already knew. "Well... you remember the amazons right? Remember how angry they had become when I refused to marry that girl?" Getting an affirmative nod to both she continued. "Well, guess they found a way around the kiss of marriage. They decided to send me a curse from Jusenkyo by disguising it as shampoo. They figured that now they could recruit me normally."

Seeing that his son was finished Genma let go of his control and promptly fainted along with soun. Both Nabiki and Kasumi sweatdropped at their father and Uncle's over exaggerated reactions.

It was then that Akane finally noticed who it was that was standing there and who it really was. As the implications of the scene she had witnessed hit her she grew instantly furious at the redhead. She stalked up to Ranma and looked her up and down to confirm it was really her.

When she was sure her fury grew to the blowout point and she screamed a battle cry. "Y-you! RANMA NO BAKA!" Was the last thing Ranma heard as a large and very heavy mallet hit her for the second time that day and she was plunged into darkness once again.

A/N: So how do you like so far? Any good? Anything you think I should change? Please review! It helps greatly!

Seras out. Till next time!


	4. The Journey and Ranma's Fiance

Too Close For Comfort

A Ranma Fanfic By Seras4545

A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! Up to 45 now, that is so awesome! To answer the question as to why Ranma couldn't evade Akane's mallet for the second time, he hasn't gotten used to the pace of events yet and had no idea she was going to do that either. How was he supposed to know she was mad at him... um, her, for making out with Nabiki as a girl? He had no idea that she had seen what went on. Please keep reviewing, it really helps me get more chapters out with the quickness.

Chapter One Part Three: The Training Journey, Jusenkyo, and Fiances.

(For all who wonder why CH1 has three parts, I have not even left the first episode of the anime yet!)

Tendo Living Room 7:09 p.m. Nabiki POV

Nabiki watched in slight amusement as Ranma took his father over to the side to explain about his curse. _This aught to be interesting, wonder how he would react?_

Ranma never got the chance to explain his curse as it was forced upon him by water that was sprayed on him when a cup shattered against the wall. When Ranma turned female Nabiki saw Genma's eyes bug out as he noticed his son gain prominently female features.

"H-how... did... what happened!" Genma finally managed to splutter after recovering slightly, though Nabiki could see him weaving on his feet.

Ranma sighed, apparently relieved a bit about not having to actually explain that he turns into a girl."Well... you remember the amazons right? Remember how angry they had become when I refused to marry that girl?" As Genma nodded to each Nabiki frowned.

_Amazons? What's this about marrying some girl of the amazons?_ Deciding to ask him later she saw Akane walk up to Ranma-chan, looking very angry. As she looked her up and down as if to confirm something she drew her mallet from subspace and raised it while yelling "Y-you! RANMA NO BAKA!" She brought it down on Ranma-chan's head and knocked her out for the second time that day.

It took a moment for Nabiki to recover from her initial surprise. Then she grew angry, far more angry than she had felt in a long time. As Akane put her mallet away, looking pleased with herself, Nabiki walked up to her and punched her square in the jaw.

Akane flew back into the wall and slumped to the ground, too shocked that her sister had just punched her and was stronger than she remembered her being to catch herself. (Guess anger driven strength runs in the family, ne?)

When Akane snapped out of her momentary daze, she glared at Nabiki. "What the hell did you do that for Nabiki! I was only giving the freak his..her...it what it deserved!"

This was a bit much for Nabiki. "What did I do that for? You just smashed a guest with a mallet for no apparent reason! That's why I did it, you bitch!" She put so much venom into her voice that Akane visibly paled. It could also have been the fact that she had just realized that she had seriously pissed off the one person who could easily destroy her life without once touching her.

Akane's POV

During the whole scene Genma still stared into space, oblivious to all around him as he contemplated what will happen to him when Nododka learns what had happened to Ranma. Soun simply cried and wailed that his baby girls were fighting. Kasumi was nowhere to be seen right now, but due to the lack of dishes on the table one could assume that she was washing dishes in the kitchen.

Akane calmed herself down, enough so that she could think clearly. She couldn't blackmail Nabiki with what she had seen earlier, cause then she would know that she had been peeping. She couldn't allow that weapon to fall into her hands. So she forced herself to assume an apologetic demeanor. "Sorry sis, I was just still jealous of how easily he beat me earlier today. I don't know what came over me. It won't happen again, I promise." _At least not where you can see me do it._

Nabiki seemed like she thought this over for a bit, then she smiled maliciously. " Alright, but if you ever do it again I will make sure you are married off to Kuno." Akane shivered at the thought, she didn't want to be married off to the maniacal wannabe samurai.

Nabiki POV

Nabiki was proud of herself, she managed to stand up to Akane and not get hit for it. Then she got suspicious, Akane gave up too easily. _Maybe she's got a secret I don't know yet. Oh well. So long as it can't hurt me then I'm fine with it so long as it keeps her out of my hair. Better make sure of everything though._

She raised her voice. " Just so everyone knows, I will be Ranma's fiance." She watched as jaws dropped and eyes bugged out. It was understandable, she was the Ice Queen of Furinkan High after all. For her to show this much emotion and make such monumental decisions in so short a time was remarkable to any who did not know her well. Sadly, there aren't any who know the real her, especially her family.

She picked up Ranma's unconscious form with a grunt. _Wow, she is much heavier than I thought she would be. Well, muscle is around ten times more dense than fat._

As she passed Akane, who still stood in shock, she whispered in the coldest voice she could. "Maybe to both Kunos, and while I'm at it I'll let the chemistry club have you for their 'experiments'. So stay out of my way and I'll forget about all of this." Nabiki had a hunch and she was determined to use the time as she could without Akane bothering her.

She got up to her room without incident and laid Ranma down on her bed. She watched him for awhile and then grabbed her laptop. She walked over to a corner and opened a hidden compartment. She pulled a cord out and plugged it in the computer. She booted it up and logged into the security system and accessed the camera in front of the changing room to the furo.

She opened the file and fast forwarded to the point where Ranma had gotten cursed. She watched as She and Kasumi ran in when Ranma screamed as he learned he had turned into a girl. Kasumi eventually left in a hurry and for a moment everything was still. Then Akane walked up and spied the open furo door. She approached the door and seemed intent on something inside. _Ah. So that is what she was so worked up for! Well, now I understand. So she was peakin' in on my business huh? Well, can't really blame her, must have been a really strange scene to see. She must think Ranma is really perverted now. Oh well, suits me just fine, means she wont try and take him from me._

She then remembered that she had Ranma in her room and she smiled. _This is a really good opportunity. She shouldn't mind me making money to pay for her and her pops to stay._ She walked over to the bed and took out her camera. She took some pictures of her sleeping and slowly and carefully eased off her shirt and repositioned her several times, taking photos as she went.

When she was finished she put her shirt back on and went over to the computer and uploaded the pictures and then deleted them from the camera and shut down the computer. As she put everything away She heard Ranma groan. She went over to her watched as she slowly woke up.

Nabiki's Room 7:37 p.m. Ranma's POV

Ranma woke up slowly, groaning in pain at the massive headache she had developed. _Wait a minute! When did I change? _Then she remembered what had happened. Groaning once again, she levered herself up, then nearly fell unconscious again as she cracked her head against someone elses.

"Ow..." Ranma mumbled as she got up from where she was laying down. She noticed that she was in someones room and looked around. She spotted Nabiki who was smiling at her while rubbing her forehead. Realizing that she was the one who she hit her head on she immediately began to apologize.

Nabiki raised her hand, stopping him in middle of her apology. "No problem Ranma, it didn't hurt that bad and it was my fault for hovering over you. Just so you know though, you have a really hard head."

Ranma began to laugh nervously and soon Nabiki joined her and they began laughing in earnest.

Once he regained her composure she noticed that the room was spartanly furnished. There was a desk with a lamp and laptop and some papers, probably homework. Then a closet with a modest selection of clothes and a dresser with some pictures on top. There was also a bookcase full of mostly manga. _Wow, guess she is really into that stuff._ She thought as she noticed that there must be a few hundred volumes. Otherwise there was nothing besides the bed she was sitting on.

She glanced back at Nabiki and noticed that she had a dreamy look in her eyes. She called her name a couple of times before she snapped out of it.

"Huh.. What? Oh, sorry Ranma, I was just thinking about some things. What did you want?"

Not wanting to know exactly what she was thinking about that could make her drool and not notice, Ranma asked a question that had been bugging her.

"Um.. What exactly happened after Akane hit me? How did I end up here?"

Nabiki smiled, seeming very satisfied with something.

"Well... Me and Akane got into a fight about why she had hit you and I won."

Ranma blinked at this. _Nabiki won against Akane? Wow, I must have underestimated her._ Viewing her with more respect he noticed she had more to say so he stayed silent.

"Not entirely physically of course. Most of it was up here." She tapped her forehead. "Anyway, after that I threatened to marry her off if she ever did it again and that shut her up. Oh, and I resolved the issue of who was going to be your fiance by claiming you myself."

She said the last as if it wasn't very important but it hit Ranma like a ton of bricks (According to his view of weight, so probably like two or three tons:) He was stunned into silence for a while and Nabiki just smiled at him.

"You what? Why?" He asked simply, wanting to know the true reason.

Nabiki looked at him strangely. "Did that last hit to your head cause some memory loss or something? I told you before, I don't hate you and I view your curse as a gift. From my point of view, we are the perfect match. So before our fathers could force us to choose, I chose for both of us." Now she looked apologetic. "Sorry if it was a bit inconsiderate of me, I just thought maybe we could find a way to make it work."

Ranma fazed out a bit, considering the options left to her. She didn't like it when people made decisions about her without her consent. Then again, she was unconscious at the time, and from the way she was acting earlier, Nabiki seemed to have quite the crush on her.

Ranma was in a dilemma. She couldn't refuse her for fear of dishonoring both their families, though she hated the fact that she was being forced into this kind of decision.

She hated this feeling, of being undecided and having no real choice in the matter.

Ranma sighed, this kind of thing seems to happen everywhere she goes, especially if it had anything to do with pops.

"Alright, guess we kinda have no choice. Though I hope you know that I would have chosen you anyway. Akane is too stuck up and tomboyish and lets her anger control her. Also, while another martial artist would be helpful, I really have no need of one."

Seeing Nabiki's questioning look, Ranma elaborated. " A martial artist would be helpful for teaching, but who I really need is someone who can run it, who can calculate the finances required for running a dojo. That person is you Nabiki. Not only that but I sense that you can become quite a capable martial artist yourself. So you would be able to fulfill both roles with ease.:

Ranma was gratified to see the beaming smile upon Nabiki's face when she heard her praise.

" What about Kasumi? What is wrong with her?" Nabiki asked nonchalantly, as if already knowing the answer.

Ranma thought on this, trying to figure out a tactful answer, then decided on a straight answer.

" Well… It's not only because she doesn't seem to be interested in me, it is more of it is obvious she had her heart set on another person. Who am I to decide she has to be with me? I decided that choosing her would lead only to ruin eventually. Same with Akane, though more because she has a complex with men and our personalities are more alike than I am proud to admit. We would constantly clash with other and probably end in one of our deaths. So the most logical and best choice would be you, and I have absolutely no problem with that."

Nabiki seemed slightly angry over something but her face soon smoothed over, probably an inner argument or something along those lines.

She smiled at him, very happy that she had offered no argument and had not rebuked her for making the choice for her.

"Thanks Ranma, you have no idea how much this means to me." She said, and Ranma noted that her smile seemed to waver for a second.

_Maybe one day I will, I hope. If we survive that long, that is._ Ranma thought ruefully, knowing that his life here would be very interesting, as strange shit just always seems to find it's way to him.

" C'mon, lets go announce our decision together so that no one will have any doubts. I also still owe you an your family a recounting of our recent travels, so I will tell you all at once, so as not to have to repeat myself. Also so that pops doesn't twist it around."

Living Room 7:53p.m. General POV

Ranma and Nabiki made their way downstairs, grabbing some hot water on their way to change him back to a guy. As soon as they got downstairs however, they were instantly ambushed by their fathers and, against their protests, they were placed opposite from each other and Nabiki joined the linup among her sisters.

"Alright boy, make your choice. Who will be your fiancé?" Genma asked in a gruff and serious voice.

Ranma pretended to study each of them once again. Kasumi was nervous and tense, Nabiki was expectant and hopeful, and Akane was seething, looking about ready to blow her top any second.

Soun, believing this pause to be indecisiveness, decided to help Ranma out. "Your problem isn't so bad son. Please take a pick. Kasumi is my eldest, she's 19. Nabiki is my second daughter, she's 17. Akane is my youngest, she's 16. Pick any one of them and she will be your new fiancé."

Ranma bristled at this. _Didn't Nabiki already tell them that we are getting engaged! To think that they would disregard her word so easily._

" Didn't Nabiki already tell you?" Seeing their blank looks he guessed that they really hadn't believed her.

" Alright, if you really need me to choose now…" Ranma sighed inwardly at their overenthusiastic nods. "My choice will be and always will be Nabiki."

Ranma watched as jaws dropped except Nabiki's who was smiling for all she was worth, as if Christmas had come early.

She even went so far as to go up and hug him and give hi a quick kiss on the cheek. Ranma could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as he blushed at such a public display so early in their relationship.

Soun and Genma actually began to celebrate and began to arrange for a 'wedding'.

Ranma decided to stomp on this before it got out of hand.

"Whoa whoa. No one said anything 'bout a wedding so soon! I don't even know her that well yet! No pops, sorry, but there aint gonna be no wedding till me and Nabiki agree on it!"

The two began to protest but Nabiki put her foot down this time.

"No mean no! I agree with Ranma. We need to get to know each other better and we also need to graduate highschool at least before we marry. I'll write up a contract later on with the terms of the engagement. We will be able to marry whenever we so wish, but we also can postpone it till after college as well."

The two were about to protest once again until they saw how determined and dead set on this they were. They also gave up easily so they would still be able to 'encourage' the wedding to progress sooner than they expected.

Ranma, satisfied now, looked at Genma. "Well pops, we have a story to tell. We owe them at least an explanation about Jusenkyo and the Amazons."

Genma nodded his agreement. "Well, as you know, I am cursed to turn into a panda and Ranma is cursed to turn into a g-g-girl." Genma's voice quavered on the last word.

Seeing that they understood he continued. "Well, the curse is water based, cold water triggers it, while hot water reversed it temporarily. These curses are locked into the springs of a famous training ground, Jusenkyo, whose true horror is finally known."

Genma proceeded to tell the story, embellishing only a few times, with Ranma correcting him and filling in details he couldn't know.

Ranma told them of the extra year he had coerced his father into allowing him, where he had visited many temples and dojos, often revisiting ones he had been to before. He had gained his education during this time, learning to treat his brain as any other muscle in his body. He learned quickly, and continued to seek more knowledge. He even went so far as to learn Chinese so that he may understand the natives better and therefore learn what he wanted to easier.

He detailed how they had arrived at Jusenkyo and Ranma understood the guide there, allowing him to have his father cursed while narrowly avoiding being cursed himself. Ranma had figured it was a just punishment for what the old man had put him through.

He told of their visit to the Amazons on search of a cure. Not only had they not found a cure, but Genma had decided to chow down on the prize food, forcing him to duel the granddaughter of the elder for it.

Once he had defeated her, Ranma had received the kiss of marriage, and the Amazons attempted to recruit him into the Amazons.

Ranma had trouble and couldn't stand how grabby and clutching the girl was, so he and pops ran.

Ranma concluded with the parts of the story that ended here with the Amazons somehow catching up with him and even laying a trap for him to become cursed so that he could join without any strings attached, except for the temporary loss of his manhood that is.

Nabiki was laughing inwardly when Ranma recounted the event with the Amazons. Though it was a reminder that they had to go slow, and that she had to be careful so that she won't push Ranma away.

Nabiki noted that Ranma seemed to avoid some things, especially what had happened with them in the furo.

_I wonder what he is hiding, and why. Hope he will tell me later, it will help me understand what he has gone through and how to deal with it as it came up._

The story done, the weary family decided to call it quits for the night and dispersed to go to sleep.

Ranma discovered that a pallet for him had been placed in Nabiki's room and nearly panicked. Nabiki said that it didn't bother her however so he merely shrugged it off. It worked in his favor as it got him away from pop's snoring.

Ranma and Nabiki wished each other a good night and they turned out the lights.

It was a while before they could sleep however as thoughts raced through their minds, both of what had happened and what could happen in the future.

Eventually though sleep claimed them.

Ranma had no idea that tomorrow held many surprises, one of which he was not likely to enjoy.

But that is for next time!

A/N: How did you like it? Please keep reviewing! The more reviews, the faster I can get the next chapter out! Please make suggestions as you see fit. They are greatly appreciated.

Seras out. Till next time!


	5. School Is No Place For Horsing Around

Too Close For Comfort

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: Hmm... Not as many reviews this time. Am I doing something wrong? Oh well. I'll continue this just because I want to. To answer the question as to what period of time my fic is based in it is based on current to little futuristic times, though it doesn't really matter in a fanfic does it? Hope you enjoy it. If you don't, then write your own and enjoy doing that, instead of reading a story you don't enjoy. Let the show go on!

Ch. 2 School Is No Place For Horsing Around

Nabiki's Room 6:27 A.M. Nabiki's POV

Nabiki shot up in bed when she heard a loud splashing sound. She rubbed her eyes to clear them and looked around. She noticed that Ranma had left and had folded up the futon and put it away. _Now where has he gotten off to?_ She thought as she grumbled and got out of bed. She looked at her clock and groaned. She was not a morning person, she wasn't used to getting up at any time before 7:15.

She heard someone shouting from the direction of the koi pond and she walked over to her window that overlooked the backyard. She looked out and saw Ranma and his father fighting. She couldn't believe they were up and fighting already! _Can't they let a girl have her beauty sleep! Oh well, I was planning on asking Ranma to train me anyways, so I guess I'll have to get used to getting up early again._

Nabiki sighed in resignation and got out of bed, slipping into her house shoes as she did. She walked downstairs and took a look at the battle between father and son. They were fighting in midair more often than not and had considerable hang time, more than what could be logically explained. "My, aren't they energetic this morning?" She said as they threw punches at each other at eye watering speeds. Nabiki distantly heard Akane mutter "Well, I guess they are pretty good." _Pretty good? Ha! Don't you remember who made you eat soap yesterday? If they are pretty good, then you are abysmal._ Nabiki thought with a smile on her face. She would always remember that.

Kasumi came in with breakfast and called out to the two martial artists. "Ranma! Mr. Saotome! Let's have some breakfast shall we?" The two continued to fight and Nabiki could see that Ranma wanted to take out his anger on Genma for being cursed. "They're so energetic, and on an empty stomach too." Kasumi said with a smile.

Nabiki watched as they traded a particularly vicious round of blows and separated again. Ranma, with a glare at his father, launched up again and Genma leaped up to meet him. Ranma did some strange twist in the air and somehow had grabbed Genma in the process and launched Genma into the koi pond. Genma came back out of the pond and pulled a steaming teakettle out of somewhere and poured it on himself, changing back into a man.

Ranma smiled mockingly at his father. "What, is that all you got pops? Guess that will teach you for going to China when you couldn't even speak a word of chinese. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been cursed. Anyways, let's go have some breakfast."

Genma grew angry, he rushed up to Ranma and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Ranma! You sound like a girl!" He yelled as he threw Ranma into the koi pond. "You're getting sloppy, boy!". Ranma got up and Nabiki could see the look of hurt on her face. Then she looked over at Nabiki and she started to smile.

"So what? I'm half girl anyways. I accept that." She yelled as she picked up a wash tub full of cold water and hurled it at the surprised and dumbfounded Genma, who was first splashed by the water then hit with the tub square in the face. "Now look who's being sloppy!" She said.

Nabiki didn't have enough time to yell out a warning to Ranma as Genma ran up and smashed the tub onto Ranma's head, knocking her out. Nabiki shook her head as Genma walked away triumphantly. "It must run in the family." She said as she walked over to wake Ranma up so she could eat breakfast.

Kasumi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh my. I imagine Mr. Saotome will need something different for breakfast." She said as she proceeded to pull out a dish of fresh cut bamboo for the panda to eat.

After the meal and thanking Kasumi, Ranma and Genma left to take a bath to change back.

General POV hall in the Tendo Dojo 6:58 P.M.

Ranma walked alongside Genma as Genma talked in a placating tone. "...Well we are going to be staying awhile." This was the tail end of his argument over why Ranma should go to the local school. Ranma had nothing against school, it was just his knowledge that Genma had always thought that education was a hindrance and had always did everything in his power to keep Ranma from spending too much time learning something other than martial arts. So this had to some kind of ploy of his.

Not wanting to let Genma think that Ranma was actually eager to go, he argued as he normally would have. "Well, what about what I think! Don't I have some say in this! Who died and made you boss!" Ranma shouted in as a righteously angry tone as he could muster. He topped it off by kicking Genma into the now nearby koi pond. "So there!"

At this time Nabiki came out of the living room dressed in her school uniform and with a bright smile on her face and Ranma gazed at her, speechless. _Wow, she looks so beautiful in that dress! Now I want to go even more._

Nabiki let him stare for a little longer then broke the silence. "Hey, it's not so bad! You'll be going to the same school as me and Akane." She leaned closer to him and added in a whisper "You'll be in my class so don't worry about Akane." She leaned back as if nothing had happened.

"So you coming with me or do I have to go alone?" She asked, obviously expecting the former.

Ranma was a little flustered, not only with Nabiki's behavior but also with the fact that he wanted to go but didn't have any of the stuff he would need.

"But I don' have the stuff I need and even if I did I wouldn't be ready to go." He explained.

Nabiki's face fell a bit until Genma popped up and shoved a schoolbag into Ranma's arms.

**Here's your things. **

**Now get going boy!**

He signed while eating a shoot of bamboo.

Ranma glared at his father as if he didn't want to go but as soon as he turned to Nabiki he smiled and they headed out the door.

Genma and Soun watched them leave, anticipating the fruition of their plans.

Ranma walked alongside Nabiki in silence for awhile, then broke it. "Hey Nabiki, I thought you said that both you and Akane go to this school, so how come she's not with us?"

Nabiki turned to him and asked in a serious tone. "Why? Do miss her? Would you rather walk with her than me?"

Seeing Ranma get nervous and start to stutter out that no he wouldn't and that he was just curious she started laughing. "Ranma, you are just too easy to tease. Akane's not with us because we are going there early. I have some people I would like you to meet and I have a problem I would like you to help me sort out. I also need to tell you about the things I do to keep the dojo afloat and the household running."

Ranma nodded to this, wondering exactly what kind of problem she had that she couldn't handle herself.

Nabiki assumed a business like tone. "First, I run betting pools on any kind of event at school. Also I sell photos of various people and I sell information. That about covers it when it comes to things that are absolutely legal." Ranma frowned at this, not wanting her to have to do anything against the law just to finance her home and family.

"I often blackmail people and extort money and goods from them. I also own many websites that sell semi-legal services and products. Now, one of the main reasons I'm telling you this is because I need your help in the legal activities. Being new to the school and being a great martial artist, you will attract a lot of attention. The betting pools and events will revolve around you mainly. Also..." She proceeded to pull a couple of pictures out and showed them to Ranma. Ranma's jaw nearly dropped and he had a hard time keeping his emotions in check.

" I would be able to make a fortune off of these pictures alone, enough to pay for the budget for weeks, if not a whole month. However, I wanted to ask your permission first." she handed him the pictures. "It's your choice, if you refuse I will not sell anything in regards to you."

Ranma knew she was entrusting him with a very important decision. She could have easily have sold these and he would have been none the wiser. It made him feel very good to know that she would trust him so much. However, he would benefit as well, he was not new to this business thing and he felt he could hold his own and even help out if needed. He didn't care if she sold such things of him. It had actually happened before.

Ranma put on a business like frown. "Let me get this straight. On the surface you run school based betting pools and are a loan shark. You also sell softcore pictures of people when you can get such pictures. Then you have underhanded business which is borderline illegal. And you want my cooperation and even my help with this?"

Nabiki nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

Ranma smiled a predatory smile. "Hmm... Well all right." Nabiki let out an audible sigh and was about to thank him when he raised his hand, indicating he had more to say.

"I didn't say for free. It's gonna cost ya. I also have a few demands." Nabiki nodded grudgingly, making a mental note to never underestimate Ranma in any field. Apparently he regards almost any activity as something he must master and be the best at, just like martial arts.

" So how about I get 10 percent of all profits from activities that involve me and/or have a connection to me?" Nabiki knew instantly what to do, so she bartered with him, enjoying it as well. It was good to find someone who could do business almost as well as most of her lackeys, though he had a long way to go before he was at her level.

They had eventually settled on 7.5 percent which Nabiki thought was a little much and Ranma felt was a little low, so they both knew it was the best compromise.

After he gave her the photos back Nabiki looked questioningly at Ranma. "So, what were those demands you talked about?"

Ranma smiled at her. "They're simple enough. All I ask is that once we are generating enough money, that you give up activities that are borderline illegal. Also, I need your help in getting my pops a job and getting your father to start training again and to reopen the dojo. We also need to see about getting more free time for Kasumi so that she can pursue her own happiness."

Nabiki was stunned. He had actually thought this through thoroughly. He also was showing that he cared not just for her but for her whole family as well. She just had to ask.

"Why? Why do you care so much? You've barely even been with us for a day."

Ranma stopped and smiled at her, glad she had asked. "'Cause I felt at home since I got here, you all feel like family to me, you're all my friends. Also I l..lo..Care about you the most. When I got cursed, you didn't treat me like some kind of freak. You showed that you cared, you helped me through it and pulled me back together. You have no idea how much that mattered to me. That's why I care."

Nabiki felt a surge of love for the man walking beside her, knowing he really, truly cared, was worth more than a mountain of yen. She looked at Ranma who looked like he was searching for something in his pockets.

When he finally found what he was looking for he pulled it out and smiled at her as he placed it in her hands. She gasped when she saw that it turned out to be a perfect, uncut diamond and a rather large chunk of what appeared to be pure gold. She looked at them in awe and then gave Ranma a look as if to say 'How?'

He shrugged. "I found them during my travels, it took a lot to hide them from pops but I managed somehow. You can do what you want with the gold but I want you to keep the diamond for yourself. It's to be my wedding gift to you, but even if we don't get married I want you to have it. We can get them appraised later."

Ranma was rather proud of himself, these two findings were rare at best and he knew that they were practically invaluable. He had no real use for them however and so he passed them on to Nabiki, who he knew would be able to make the best of them.

Unexpectedly she jumped at him and enveloped him in a tight hug. It nearly knocked the breath out of him and the way her breasts squeezed against his chest felt started to make him slightly uncomfortable.

Suddenly she released him, though rather reluctantly he noticed. She had tears of joy in her eyes and a look of gratitude and happiness on her face.

"Thank you so much Ranma! You have no idea what this means to me and my family. We'll go have this appraised as soon as we get out of school, alright?"

Ranma nodded his agreement, glad this had helped. He jumped up on the fence next to the canal and began walking on it.

Nabiki gave him a quizzical look. "What are you doing up there?"

Ranma looked down and smiled. "Balance training. If there is one thing that pops taught me that was truly wise, it was to turn everything I could into training. So while walking to school I can walk along the fence, improving my balance and giving some muscles an extra workout."

Nabiki thought on this for awhile, surprised that the idiot panda actually had some useful wisdom. Then she couldn't help herself, she wanted to do it too. "Hey Ranma, could I ask you for a favor?"

He looked down at her and smiled. "Go ahead, shoot."

She smiled back. "Could you teach me? Martial arts I mean?"

This seems to have caught him off guard and he nearly fell off the fence. He regained his balance and jumped down and gave her a calculating look. Then he smiled broadly.

"Of course! I'd love to teach you! You have no idea how long I've been wanting to ask you if you wanted to. Thanks Nabiki." He hesitated for a second, then gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

Nabiki blushed beautifully, as did Ranma. They remained in uncomfortable silence for a few moments until Ranma broke the silence.

"So, what kind of problem did you need fixed?"

Nabiki thought it over for a moment, then decided to tell him about how Tatewaki Kuno had arranged for the male population of the school to challenge Akane for a date and how it had happened every morning since then.

Ranma had no particular feelings for the tomboy, but what Kuno had done was unforgivable in his eyes. He knew that this is what was behind Akane's constant and uncontrollable anger and her dislike for boys.

"Alright, I'll make sure that Kuno is eating through a straw when I'm finished with him."

Nabiki smiled gratefully. "Just don't hurt him too much, he is one of the richest clans in the area and his father is the principal of our school, though he is on an extended vacation in Hawaii for some medical reason. Also he is where I get much of my money from, as he isn't the brightest bulb in the box and he is also slightly delusional."

Ranma thought on this for a moment. "Who is the doctor around here?" Nabiki proceeded to tell him of Tofu and gave him directions on how to get there.

Ranma memorized the directions and nodded in satisfaction. "I'll just take him there afterward then."

Nabiki nodded her agreement. She then looked at Ranma with an expectant look. "So, about that balancing thing, do you think I could try it?"

Ranma gave her an appraising glance and nodded, as if satisfied by something. "Can you balance well enough to ride a bike without using your hands, ever?"

Nabiki remembered doing something along those lines a while back, so she just nodded.

Ranma smiled. "Well, I guess I could start your training now then. Just a warning though, you are not gonna be good at this right off the bat and you will be sore after some practice."

Nabiki didn't care, it was worth the cost. Ranma helped her up onto the fence and stood her up, stabilizing her when she needed it. Soon she was walking slowly in front of Ranma, her arms out to keep her balance. She soon felt like she got the hang of it and began walking faster, though she could feel the strain of some of the muscles she had to use constantly just to keep her balance.

She reached a section of the fence that hadn't been secured properly and it wobbled, instantly throwing her off balance, sending her falling into the canal. Ranma tried catching her but stepped on a wet section of the fence that Nabiki had somehow dodged. He managed to get Nabiki back on the fence, but took the plunge in her place, triggering the curse.

Ranma got up and jumped back over the fence, wet and a little irritated.

"Ranma, are you alright? Sorry I got you into this mess. We can go to Tofu's place and get some hot water." Nabiki felt really bad, today was Ranma's first day at school and she felt she had ruined it for him/her.

Ranma looked up at the sky and sighed lightly. "Nah, it's alright Nabiki. It's gonna rain soon anyways so it doesn't really matter. Thanks for offering though. We might be late if we had to take any kind of detour and I still have to settle the problem of Kuno."

Nabiki was a little surprised, if she were in Ranma's position, she probably would have tried to reverse the curse as soon as she could. "But, Ranma, it's your first day at Furinken! You don't want to go as a girl do you? Everyone will know about your secret!" _I'm also a little worried about how Kuno will react to her._

Ranma shrugged her shoulders. "I learned that the sooner someone learns about the strange things about you, the easier it will be for them to accept that strangeness and get to know the real you instead. There are only a few exceptions to this rule that I know of, one of them being Akane. They are bound to learn sooner or later anyways."

Nabiki thought this over for a bit and decided it was good advice, if slightly flawed. Deciding to let Ranma handle the curse the way she feels it needs to be handled, she moved on to the issue of the engagement.

"Just as a heads up, I would like to keep our engagement a secret." Seeing the questioning look from Ranma she elaborated. "Just for awhile, I would like to milk the subject for all it's worth first, then I'll charge a huge sum of money for the final answer. Then we get to enjoy the general chaos that would have happened anyway, but this way we benefit from it."

Ranma considered this for a moment and then agreed, seeing that it was the best way. They continued down the street and eventually the gates of Furinken rose up in their view. Ranma could see the crowd of boys from varying clubs and groups awaiting the arrival of Akane. Ranma could also sense a large source of ki hiding behind a tree in the back of the crowd and knew that it was Kuno. Ranma bristled with anger at the kendoist. _Now he is really pissing me off! Not only did he arrange for this travesty of a challenge, but he also hides until his opponent is weakened from having to fight the mob off. He is going to be in a world of pain when I get done with him!_

Nabiki led her over to two girls who were talking with each other. When they saw them approaching, they seemed to be expecting them. Nabiki motioned for Ranma to come and meet them and Ranma went along for now.

"Ranma, I would like you to meet two of my best friends and the best informants and assistants in the school. She is Sayuri." She indicated the girl with long red-blond hair. " and this is Yuka." The other girl with short light brown hair nodded at Ranma.

"Girls, this is Ranma, the one I told you about over the phone." The two girls looked slightly confused at this statement.

Yuka spoke up. "But Boss, I thought you said Ranma was a guy! And aren't you two supposed to be engaged? What's going on here?"

Nabiki was not surprised at their confusion. "She is a guy!Well... sorta. Look it's hard to explain in full but let me give you the basic rundown. Ranma has been cursed and water changes his gender. Cold turns him into a girl and hot turns her back."

Seeing the incredulous looks on their faces, Nabiki sighed and pulled out the photos. "I can't give you a demonstration right now since Ranma doesn't feel like changing since it's gonna rain soon, but these should be enough."

She handed the pictures to them and they began admiring them, especially those of Ranma's male half.

"Wow, he is such a hunk! You're so lucky Nabiki!" Yuka said with a dreamy look on her face.

Sayuri merely nodded and one could see a small trail of drool at the corner of her mouth.

Nabiki let them fantasize for a little longer and then got down to business.

" Alright, what I want you to do is make copies and sell as many of those as you can. Oh, and sell rumors of the engagements but no specifics, and any info on Ranma you feel like except the curse and of course the engagement. I'll take care of those myself. Also if Ranma ever needs anything, anything at all, give it to him. Got it?"

Seeing them nod an affirmative Nabiki shooed them off to do their jobs. She turned to Ranma and smiled.

She smiled back. "Thanks Nabiki."

Nabiki shook her head. "No problem Ranma, after all, today is going to make more money than I have ever seen in one spot and it is all thanks to you. Now I'll go and start the betting pools on the fight between you and the hentai gang and your upcoming fight with Kuno. I'll leave the way you start that fight up to you, just make sure to end this farce today by getting Kuno to agree, alright?"

Ranma nodded her agreement and left Nabiki to her business. She took a look at the groups of boys and decided that their overall martial arts capability was abysmal. She doubted that they could even work in a team.

Ranma always was a direct person, so she didn't hesitate to issue a formal challenge against the male population of the school.

When she had their attention, she noticed that many of the boys were drooling. _Oh kami, that's gross. They are complete perverts! No wonder Akane is so angry all the time._ Suddenly an idea came to her and she smiled evilly. If what she knew of Kuno was correct then he wouldn't be able to resist the challenge, no matter how fixated he was on Akane.

"Listen up! I challenge all of you! If I lose, then I will go out on a date with each and every one of you still standing in the end!" She waited for the whistles, cheers, and general perverted banter to die down while trying to keep herself from puking. "However, If I win, you must stop this nonsense at once and you will forfeit the right to challenge Akane for any reason!" This quieted them down a bit but they still seemed up to the challenge.

"If you agree, then lets get this over with!" They immediately charged Ranma. As she had thought though, they did not work well in teams, and constantly tripped each other up and sometimes even took one of their own out completely. As Ranma danced through and around their ranks, she could sense Kuno watching, waiting for the end of this charade.

She used pressure points and swift knockouts to end this quickly without hurting anyone too badly. After all, they were just normal perverts, not the superlech that Kuno seemed to be. When Ranma saw there were no more standing, she sighed, slightly disappointed that it hadn't been more of a challenge. She saw Nabiki gathering money from those who had lost bets and giving it out to the very small number who had won theirs.

Ranma sensed an incoming ki signature from Kuno's direction and caught the rose he had thrown at her. She took a look at his ki closely and then threw the rose away in disgust. His ki was twisted and a sickly green. Ranma guessed that he must be suffering from partial insanity that had been caused by something like drugs or a blow to his head, maybe both.

Ranma turned to face her new challenger, who was dressed in samurai robes and was wielding a bokken. He was tall and had hair that was slightly along the same lines as Ranma's male half, just cut short and well groomed. Ranma's opinion of the man went down when he started spouting Shakespeare, and very badly at that. (If he had any idea what the lines meant, then he would understand why Ranma felt justified in his beating.)

"But earthlier happy is the rose distilled than that which withering on the virgin thorn grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness."

While Ranma wasn't the smartest person, she had read many lines from Shakespeare before during her year of education, and knew exactly what it meant. Her blood began to boil and she couldn't wait to get her hands on him. (In a lethal way of course, you perverts)

He walked out from behind the tree and confronted Ranma, seeming completely at ease and confident. Ranma simply waited for him to be finished with his ranting.

"These weaklings! Such a boorish lot, truly. They fought for the privilege of your company, oh pigtailed beauty. May I ask your name?"

Still ready for an attack, Ranma smiled, though it had no warmth in it. "The name's Saotome. Saotome, Ranma. Don't bother telling me yours, I already know it. Tatewaki Kuno, correct?"

Kuno, oblivious to anything else, beamed at the fact that the fiery beauty before him already knew of him.

"Seems my reputation has gone far indeed. Well, Ranma, would you spar with me? If you defeat me then you may date with me!"

Before Kuno could launch his attack, Ranma shook her head.

"No, Kuno. That was not the provision of my challenge. I will restate it, so that all is clear to you. If you win, you may date with me. If you lose, then you lose all rights to challenge Akane for any reason."

Kuno was taken aback for a moment. He had no wish to lose Akane, but he so wanted to date the wild, energetic girl before him. Sure of his abilities, Kuno agreed.

"Very well, you have the honor of fighting the undefeated captain of this school's kendo club, the rising new star of the school fencing world! The sound of my voice strikes fear into the hearts of mine enemies. My peers call me the blue thunder of Furinken High!"

This last piece created an impressive echo and Ranma was impressed with Kuno's ability to control the lightning enough to have it flash behind him as soon as he finished, something that would have caused others to doubt their abilities.

"Tatewaki Kuno, age 17."

Distantly Ranma heard Sayuri and Yuka speaking with Nabiki.

"Did he just call himself blue thunder?"

"Have you heard that before?"

"Nope, it's news to me."

"Last I heard, he was calling himself 'Shooting Star'."

Ranma smiled at this.

"Nice special effects Kuno, now lets get on with this. I have no desire to be late."

Ranma fell into a ready stance and Kuno charged, bokken raised above his head for a powerful stroke...

To Be Continued!

A/N: Sorry for cutting off here, but seemed like a good spot to stop and the chapter was getting long. Besides, you'll like the title of the next chapter, I'm sure. So please R&R.

Seras Out. Till Next Time!


	6. Enter Kuno: The True Blunder

Too Close For Comfort

Ranma Fanfic by Seras4545

A/N: Awesome! Lots of reviews, thanks everyone. Sorry 'bout the, as a reviewer so kindly pointed out, seriously fucked up cliffhanger. It just felt like a good time to end the chapter and see what kind of response I would get. I'll try to do better this time around.

Chapter 6: Enter Kuno: The True Blunder

Kuno slashed down with his bokken, missing Ranma by a few centimeters and cutting into the stone wall behind her.

Ranma landed against the trunk of a tree and pushed off as Kuno sent a vicious slash that completely severed the tree in half. Ranma saw the tree go down and knew that Kuno wasn't holding back against her, at least not much. _Probably saw how well I did against the horde. There's no way Akane would be able to hold out against this guy if he was attacking her like he's attacking me now. _

For some reason, Ranma was getting angry and before Kuno could attack again, she rushed in under his defense. She started throwing rapid punches into his abdomen and smiled sadistically as she heard ribs snap and break.

Kuno staggered under the barrage and held his abdomen in obvious pain. He still kept hold of his weapon though, and he resumed an offensive stance. Ranma then felt a large amount of ki well up from within him and he straightened his stance and resumed a two handed weapon style.

Ranma was surprised that he still wished to continue. _Geez, this guy must be some kind of masochist. That would have brought just about anyone else down for sure._

Kuno smiled at Ranma, nearly making her retch. "You are powerful, oh pigtailed goddess. You are the first to be able to wound me so. It will take more than that to defeat me however."

So saying he leapt forward and, with ki enhanced strength and speed, began to rapidly thrust at Ranma crying out 'strike' with each.

It was all Ranma could do to not get hit at this point. She backed up toward the school and eventually she heard a cracking noise behind her. Ranma took a glance back and saw that the wall was being pulverized. _Shit, the air pressure alone is destroying the wall. He is better than I had thought._

Then Ranma heard a scream. Ranma quickly snuck a kick through Kuno's defenses, sending him flying off for a moment. She turned and watched in shock as the wall came down, taking a portion of of the classroom above with it. The person screaming was Nabiki along with a girl he didn't recognize.

She quickly jumped up and grabbed Nabiki and the girl and landed gracefully to the side of the pile of rubble.

She looked at Nabiki in concern. "You okay, Nabiki?"

Nabiki flashed her a weak smile and nodded. The other girl had fainted. "Yeah, thanks Ranma. I didn't realize what kind of damage Kuno could wreak. You be careful, he's dangerous and he seems very serious about this for once."

Ranma nodded. "I will. He'll pay for this."

Ranma left Nabiki to take care of the girl and strode over to where Kuno was prying himself from the impression in the wall where he had impacted, her fury growing with every step._ No one, and I mean no one gets away with harming innocents! Especially not **her**! _Ranma's vision began to be filled with a red haze. Kuno shook himself, dislodging the fragments of plaster and stone from himself.

He saw Ranma approaching and quickly resumed his stance. Ranma could feel him gathering ki again and decided to end this right here and now.

Kuno blinked as Ranma disappeared from his sight. Then his bokken shattered into splinters and he screamed as he felt his arms being painfully dislocated. (Think Sasuke from Naruto when he was first using the cursed mark and breaking that one guys arms.)

"You will pay for what you nearly did!" Ranma yelled from behind him as she heard the bones grind against each other and then break with a resounding snap that all could hear.

"Ranma, stop! Don't kill him!" Ranma came back to herself and blinked in surprise when she noticed that she held Kuno's head in her hand and had begun twisting, ready to break his neck. She let go in shock at what she had nearly done.

Nabiki ran up to her. "Thank the kami! I tried reaching you as soon as you started breaking his arms. What the hell did you think you were doing? You could have killed him!"

Ranma blinked at the verbal barrage. She couldn't seem to think straight yet. _Did she just say that I broke his arms? When did that happen?_ Ranma couldn't remember much of what had happened and her panic started to grow as she realized that what had happened was similar to her other 'problem'.

She looked at Kuno and saw that his face had gone completely white and he was breathing raggedly. Remembering what she was supposed to be doing she walked up to him and knelt close enough for him to hear, switching on a tape recorder as she went.

"Kuno, do you yield?"

Kuno managed to answer between gasping breaths. "Yes... I, Tate..waki Kuno... yield to you... Ranma Sao..tome. I.. shall no longer... bother either you... or the beauteous Akane... Tendo ever again."

Ranma, ignoring Kuno's pain, picked him up and hit a pressure point on kuno's neck. Kuno went instantly limp and sighed in relief as his mind was cut off from the pain and promptly fainted.

Nabiki threw an anxious look at Ranma, concerned that Ranma had just killed him. "What did you just do to him, Ranma?"

Ranma gave her an unreadable look. "I merely used a pressure point to knock out his nervous system temporarily. He wont be able to move or feel pain for awhile. He just fainted from the sudden loss of sensory input. Don't worry, I didn't kill him." She said the last in a bitter tone and jumped up on the wall, still carrying Kuno.

"Ranma, wait!" Nabiki called out but was too late. The martial artist was gone, along with Kuno.

Later, Akane came running into the school, ready for her morning fight to be confronted by the scene of carnage Ranma had left behind.

Confused, she went to class when the bell rung and noticed that she hadn't seen either Ranma or Nabiki this morning.

Doctor Tofu's Office

Doctor Tofu had just sent his last patient on her way home and gone back inside when he heard a commotion. He went back outside and found a redhead girl carrying an apparently very injured young man. The girl looked like she was on the verge of collapse. (Hey, Kuno is probably heavy and Ranma has not had all the benefits of the series yet. Also, the clinic is on the way but about halfway between school and the dojo. Besides, it is very difficult to hold a limp body, as it's balance shifts constantly.)

Tofu immediately ran up and took the burden of Kuno off of Ranma, asking how such a thing had come about.

Ranma smiled at Tofu, instantly liking him. "Well... I kinda got carried away in a fight he and I had. So I brought him here based on your reputation, doc."

Tofu seemed quite surprised. "You did this? That must have been quite a fight. Well umm..."

"Oh, sorry. The name's Ranma Saotome. Just call me Ranma. The idiot I beat up is named Kuno."

_Ranma, huh? That sounds like something you would name a son, not a daughter._ Tofu took a closer look at Ranma's Ki and was surprised to find that she had an equal mix of both male and female ki, though the female ki seemed to be domineering the male for now. _Interesting, got to ask her about that after I fix up Kuno._

Tofu placed his patient on the bed and began looking at him and his aura. After awhile he started getting frustrated.

"That's strange. The ki isn't flowing properly and all his injuries seem to be internal. I can't figure them out like this and I don't want to probe them, I may do more damage than harm."

Ranma had figured that the pressure point would screw up the ki flow and therefore the good doctor's analysis. "Sorry doc, that's my fault as well. I used a pressure point to cut him off from the pain. If you want, I can tell you what injuries he has. I think we should sedate him however and give him some pain killers and I can reverse the pressure point, so that you can examine the injuries yourself."

Tofu nodded at this sound advice, but decided to hear how good Ranma's analysis of Kuno's injuries was. Very few knew of the particular pressure point that Ranma had used, and most were always doctors.

"I'll do that. But first, tell me what you know. It will speed the process a bit."

As Ranma listed off the injuries she had inflicted, Tofu went and prepared the painkillers and sedatives.

Tofu was increasingly impressed by Ranma's skill as she rattled off the injuries. Five broken ribs, one shattered, two broken collarbones, both shoulders dislocated, a bruised liver, three fractured vertebrae, and a few surface bruises.

Tofu administered the sedatives and painkillers and then had Ranma reverse the pressure point. Tofu then looked into Kuno's aura and found only a few things that Ranma had missed, non as serious as the others, however. He also found a sickness, one that attacked his mind. It seemed to be caused by a mixture of toxins that had been breathed in.

"I'm impressed, Ranma. You had diagnosed his injuries almost as well as I could. This should only take a little while."

Ranma went out into the waiting room and sat down while the doctor did his work. She thought over the fight and how close she had come to killing Kuno. She had never come so close to killing anyone, not even when she had been in the neko ken.

She felt guilt, pain, and sorrow. She suddenly felt someone nearby and turned and saw Nabiki through eyes that were beginning to blur with tears, looking at her with concern. That look was the last push the dam needed to break and she began to cry in earnest.

Nabiki was surprised when Ranma broke down, she hadn't expected that of the strong and confident martial artist. She hesitated a second, then pulled Ranma into a hug. Ranma continued to cry into her shoulder and Nabiki held her, trying to calm her down and soothe her.

Eventually Ranma stopped though she continued to hold onto Nabiki for a few minutes. When she finally let go she saw the wet spot on Nabiki's clothes and immediately began to apologize.

Nabiki held up her hand, forestalling her apology. "It's alright Ranma, it'll dry in time."

Ranma heard a cough and turned to see Tofu standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to say that Kuno will be fine after a few months of rehab. He won't be fit to go to school during that time however. Also, I would like to ask you something Ranma."

Ranma wiped her eyes dry and smiled at the doctor. "What is it doc?"

Tofu was glad to hear her in control, it sometimes scared him when a girl let loose like that. Too often he had no idea what to do.

"Well, do you have a job yet?" Seeing Ranma shake her head, he continued. "Well then, how would you like to work here after school? I could use the help and it would put some of my female patients at ease."

Ranma looked questioningly at Nabiki. "Well, he is a doctor Ranma, you'll have to tell him sometime. Better now, than when it is embarrassing."

Tofu was confused by this. _What is it that Ranma is hiding? Does it have something to do with her strange ki?_

Ranma sighed. "Well doc, it's kinda hard to explain. Basically I am cursed." Tofu blinked at that, he knew that some types of magic existed, but what could she possibly be cursed with?

"Umm... It would be easier to explain if I could just show you. Could you get me some hot water?"

Tofu nodded and went off to heat up some water. He soon came back with a cup full of hot water and handed it to Ranma, who proceeded to dump it on herself.

Tofu watched in shock as Ranma grew overall, but shrunk in some areas, most specifically in the chest. Ranma was now a guy.

" Hmm.. Interesting. So, you're cursed to turn into a guy when hit with hot water?"

Ranma was surprised by this, then began laughing wholeheartedly. Nabiki soon joined him while Tofu looked on in confusion.

When he finished laughing, he shook his head at the doctor. "No doc, I don't turn into a guy. I am a guy, I am cursed to turn into a girl when I'm hit with cold water."

Now it made more sense to Tofu. "Well, my offer still stands. You have a lot of potential. I could teach you as you work here. What do you say?"

Ranma thought on it for a bit, then nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll like that alot. Thanks doc."

Tofu smiled. "No problem Ranma. It'll be my pleasure to teach you. By the way, were do you live, in case I need your help when you're not here?"

"Oh, I live with the Tendos. I believe you know them?"

Tofu knew them alright, he began thinking of a girl with long brown hair with an angelic smile and his glasses began fogging up. He shook himself out of his momentary daze and nodded.

"Yes, I know them. Nabiki, right?" Nabiki nodded. "You take care of Ranma now, you hear? Don't let something like this happen again if you can help it alright?"

Nabiki nodded and led Ranma out of the clinic.

Once they got outside Ranma surprised her by picking her up and launching off of the ground. Nabiki watched in fascination as the landscape flashed by beneath her. She suddenly felt afraid of how high they were going. She wrapped her arms tighter around Ranma and buried her face in his chest. She liked how warm he was and tried to get even closer to him.

"Umm... Nabiki, could you let up a bit?" Nabiki looked up at his face and noticed it was turning a bit blue and nearly let go entirely as she loosened her hold on him.

Ranma sighed in relief as he could breath again and smiled down at Nabiki, showing that she had done no real harm.

Soon they were at the Tendo dojo and Ranma touched ground again. He let Nabiki down gently and winced. He tried to hide it quickly but Nabiki had seen it.

"Hey Ranma! You're hurt aren't you?" Ranma shrugged, not wanting her to know how bad it was.

"It's just a scratch, nothin' serious."

Nabiki was skeptical. "Really? Then it doesn't hurt?" She said as she prodded his side that had a rip in the shirt. This produced another wince from Ranma. "Uh huh. Just as I thought. Come on, let me go get the first aid kit." Ranma followed her into the house. She went and got the first aid kit from the kitchen and surprisingly Kasumi wasn't in the house. She figured that she must be out shopping and led Ranma up to their room.

Nabiki ordered Ranma to take off his shirt and when he gave her a worried glance, she sighed and got some water and turned him back into a girl.

"There, is that better?" Ranma still looked uncomfortable, but did as she was told and took her shirt off.

Nabiki did her best to ignore Ranma's large breasts and examined her. Even as a girl she was very well muscled and it rippled with every move she made. Nabiki found that she was turned on by that as well and tried to ignore it too. She found a large gash in Ranma's side that was slowly bleeding.

_How could a bokken cut her like this? It's too fine of a cut._ Then she remembered when Ranma had saved her and Miaka from the collapsing classroom, and how a lot of glass was falling from the broken windows.

She probed the wound a bit, ignoring Ranma's protests, and found a shard of glass embedded in it.

"Alright, Ranma. This is gonna hurt." Ranma braced herself as Nabiki grabbed a pair of tweezers and extracted the glass. Ranma let out a cry of pain as the glass caught and cut some more tissue and Nabiki hurriedly pulled it out. As the shard left the wound Ranma let out a sigh of relief.

She looked Ranma over for other injuries and found a dark bruise on her neck. When she pointed it out to Ranma, she looked confused for a second. "He never even touched me once. I'm impressed, I underestimated him greatly."

Suddenly Ranma hugged Nabiki and Nabiki had a hard time ignoring the sensations this caused her. When she finally let go she was smiling.

"Thanks for caring Nabs, you have no idea how much that means to me."

A strange look passed over Ranma's face then she leaned forward and kissed Nabiki deeply, passionately. Then she broke away and smiled at the slightly shocked Nabiki.

"I think I need a nap, you don't mind do you?" Nabiki shook her head, still speechless from the kiss.

Ranma curled up on her futon and, between the stress of the day and her feelings for Nabiki, promptly fell asleep.

Nabiki snapped out of her fugue after a few minutes and looked down at Ranma's peaceful face. She took some time to sort out her feelings and found that she deeply loved the redhead. She stared lovingly at her and then undressed and put on her nightgown and crawled underneath the blankets alongside Ranma and curled up against her, cupping her smaller form within her own.

As she drifted off to sleep she had one thought on her mind. _I could get used to this..._

Then she fell asleep, comfortable with her bed companion...

A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry 'bout the slightly shorter chapter, but I kinda want to keep the chapters within the time span of the episodes. For those of you who hate Kuno, I hope you got a kick out of Ranma beating the shit out of him for nearly hurting Nabiki. If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to make the martial artists a little more mortal in the beginning at least. Anyway, the next chapter should be done within a week or so of this one.

Seras out. Till next time!


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